The Roosevelt district, where O'Connell was the assistant to superintendent for secondary instruction, suspended him without pay when he was arrested.

In December 2011, O'Connell filed a pending lawsuit against the South County school district and former district superintendent and football coach Joseph Cipp Jr., saying he was fired from his Bellport principal's job because he would not fix the grades of star football player Ryan Sloan so he could get a scholarship to Syracuse University.

An independent investigation found that Sloan's grades were changed and Cipp resigned. Both Cipp and the student, Ryan Sloan, have denied the allegations.

O'Connell's lawyer, Glenn Obedin of Central Islip, declined to comment, as did the prosecutor in the case, Eastern District Assistant United States Attorney Allen Bodie.